NFL commissioner Roger Goodell issued a memo to all 32 teams on October 10.(Elsa, Getty Images)

Here it is AFC showdown week with the New England Patriots and what did the Broncos do?

They got their priorities in order. Following practice Monday, Broncos players and coaches gathered for a 1 1/2 hour educational session on domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse.

The seminar was held for all Broncos’ staff personnel on Tuesday.

“Obviously, it’s relative,” said punter Britton Colquitt. “It was good for anybody to hear, especially for guys like me who have a wife or guys who are in relationships. It’s good to be sensitive to those issues and aware of them.

“And the kid thing is changing with how to discipline and not take it too far. You can’t take your kid in the yard and beat them with a belt like everybody’s parents did back in the day. It’s good to hear because if I get mad at my son, not that I would have done anything before, but because of things like this you say to yourself, I’m going to think before I react.”Read more…

Adrian Peterson was placed on the NFL’s exempt list by the Vikings last month. (Ann Heisenfelt, The Associated Press)

The bad just gets worse for former star running back Adrian Peterson. In the past month, Peterson went from being one of the biggest names in the NFL to being indicted on child abuse charges and placed on the NFL’s exempt list by the Vikings.

According to an exclusive by The Star Tribune, Peterson’s troubles run far deeper. Records obtained by the paper show that he has fathered six children, two of them born to different mothers a month apart.

He has also had several run-ins with the law in Minnesota and Texas, his home state, including a 2011 incident in which he was investigated for alleged criminal sexual misconduct during a night of partying in a Minnesota hotel. No charges were ever filed, but the 38-page police report obtained by the Tribune detailed a wild night with alcohol, arguing and sex that involved Peterson, two relatives and four women. One of Peterson’s relatives who was there told police that the room was paid for with a company credit card for Peterson’s charity, All Day Foundation.

The Tribune report also went into detail of alleged bogus donations made by his charity, which supposedly focused on at-risk children.

The charity’s 2011 financial report showed $247,064 in total revenue, and listed just three organizations that received money. A fourth outlay, entitled simply “clothing for needy families,” listed “unknown” for the number of recipients.

In 2009, the charity said its largest gift, $70,000, went to Straight From the Heart Ministries in Laurel, Md. But Donna Farley, president and founder of the Maryland organization, said it never received any money from Peterson’s foundation. “There have been no outside [contributions] other than people in my own circle,” said Farley. “Adrian Peterson — definitely not.”

The East Texas Food Bank, based in Tyler, said it received money from Peterson’s foundation in 2009, although the foundation’s tax filing for the year listed just one donation to a food bank — the North Texas Food Bank, based in Dallas.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell spoke to reporters in New York on Thursday. (Elsa, Getty Images)

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell addressed the media Friday for the first time since his CBS News interview in which he tried to explain the league’s decision and process in suspending Ray Rice indefinitely.

Since then, a handful of other cases have come up — Adrian Peterson, Greg Hardy, Jonathan Dwyer, Ray MacDonald — and a number of fumbled news conference by owners and missteps by the league have followed.

The NFL has perhaps never faced a more embarrassing and alarming few weeks than it has now, leading to even its biggest sponsors, including Anheuser-Busch and Nike, to start raising red flags and even suspending their deals with the league.

On Friday, Goodell must have felt that he could no longer hide. He, again, said that he made a mistake. That he “got it wrong.” That he “is sorry.” That he is “trying to get it right.” That the league “needs outside help.”

But the general public has heard those lines many times throughout these past few months, from him and his owners.

(The commissioner also said he has not considered resigning — “We have a lot of work to do. That’s my focus.” — and that he believes he has the full support of the league’s owners — “That has been clear to me.”)

But while Goodell may have been very sincere in his words, that he was indeed very sorry for how the NFL has handled the Ray Rice incident and the other cases that have come up since, he didn’t offer a concrete plan for how the league would change its ways.

He said the league would strive to get a new personal conduct policy in place by the Super Bowl, but he didn’t say what changes he would like to see made to the policy.

He said the league has partnered with two outside organizations for domestic violence awareness, but he didn’t say how that would change things within the league.

He said he there have been inconsistencies in how the NFL has handled the varied cases over the last few weeks, but he didn’t explain why.

He said “everything is on the table” when asked if he would consider giving up some of his power to allow for more checks and balances in the league.

When asked about Robert Mueller conflict of interests in investigating a league his firm has represented in past contract negotiations, Goodell asked why anyone would question Mueller’s credibility.

When probed by reporters, Goodell failed to answer succinctly how things will change and why things have happened as they have. In short, he said he has been in numerous meetings, that there are many things that the league “needs to consider,” that they “need to get it right.” But offered no answers and no plans with real changes.

But it wasn’t just the media who appeared baffled by Goodell’s lack of reasoning Friday. Players, fans and countless others expressed their views on his address: Read more…

For the last few weeks, the NFL has dominated headlines — and not in a good way. From Ray Rice to Adrian Peterson, and Jonathan Dwyer to Greg Hardy, the league’s onslaught of problems has seemed never-ending this month.

On Thursday, a day after Peterson and Hardy were deactivated, Dwyer was arrested, and more sponsors spoke out against the NFL’s controversial handling of domestic violence cases, a number of newspapers featured the news on their front page. Take a look:

They said they “want to make sure they get it right.” That “they made a mistake.” That “this was the best possible solution.”

Vikings brass again addressed reporters Wednesday, this time to say that they’re putting their star running back on the exempt list (he will still be paid) just two days after they announced that they would reinstate him after he was charged with child abuse.

The Wilf brothers and GM Rick Spielman refused to veer too far from the scripted statement in front of them, making for yet another awkward and seemingly insincere 10 minutes of television.

Adrian Peterson was reinstated by the Vikings on Monday. (Ann Heisenfelt, The Associated Press)

The week from hell for the NFL has turned into weeks from hell. After the NFL’s contentious handling of the Ray Rice incident, which is still ongoing (the union plans to appeal his ban Tuesday), the focus turned to Adrian Peterson, who has been accused of abusing two of his children now.

Mylan Inc. said it was no longer working with Peterson to promote its EpiPen, used to treat allergic reactions. The running back had participated in several promotions to raise awareness for anaphylaxis, which he has dealt with in the past.

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was reinstated for practice and Sunday’s game at New Orleans. (Steve Dykes, Getty Images)

(Note: The most recent updates are at the top.)

UPDATED SEPT. 15, 8:53 p.m.: Peterson’s childhood friend David Cummings showed USA Today Sports the tree where they picked switches that their fathers used to whip them. And there’s this:

Two of Nelson Peterson’s brothers, Larry and Greg Peterson, and a former wife, Phyllis Peterson, confirmed that Nelson Peterson used corporal punishment and said they knew the story about what took place at Palestine Middle School. They say Peterson whipped his children and some of their friends with a belt or a tree branch known as a “switch.”

UPDATED SEPT. 15, 8:39 p.m.:

#Vikings say during their research, “We were made aware of an allegation from 2013 in which authorities took no action against Adrian.”

Radisson takes this matter very seriously particularly in light of our long-standing commitment to the protection of children. We are closely following the situation and effective immediately, Radisson is suspending its limited sponsorship of the Minnesota Vikings while we evaluate the facts and circumstances.

UPDATED SEPT. 15, 7:07 p.m.:

Adrian Peterson’s lawyer Rusty Hardin tells me the latest accusations were made over a year ago. “No action was taken.” More coming.

UPDATED SEPT. 15, 6:00 p.m.: After Spielman’s bizarre news conference, KHOU, Houston’s CBS affiliate, reported that Peterson abused another one of his sons, and has photos of the 4-year-old’s injuries.

Seth Kaplan of Fox 9 tweeted the details of the report (which has not been posted on the network’s website yet). I’m leaving out the tweet of the blurred out photo of the child.

Report says Adrian hit then 4-year-old son last June… left a scar on kids forehead. This can be used as evidence in current investigation

Denver Broncos defensive end DeMarcus Ware (94) and Terrence Knighton (98) look on during OTAs on June 2 at Dove Valley. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

TERRANCE KNIGHTON ENDORSES TIRES, DOMINATION
The Broncos and their fans don’t really care how much fame and fortune their lovable 330-something-pound defensive tackle engulfs off the field. Their hope is that all this newfound attention doesn’t get in Knighton’s way of creating interior havoc at the line of scrimmage. Equipped with an outsized confidence that matches his frame, Knighton said his second season with the Broncos will be his best.—Mike Klis, The Denver Post

PEYTON MANNING NO. 5 AMONG HIGHEST-PAID ATHLETES
The Broncos 38-year-old star quarterback capped his record-setting season by moving up three spots to No. 5 among American athletes on The Fortunate 50, the annual rankings by Sports Illustrated and Fortune of the highest-paid athletes. Manning reportedly pulled in a total of $37.5 million last year — $25 million in salary and $12.5 million in endorsements.—Nicki Jhabvala, The Denver Post

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JULIUS THOMAS STILL LEARNING AFTER BREAKOUT SEASON
Among all the weapons the Broncos assembled around Peyton Manning, Thomas was the breakout star of 2013’s record-setting offense, earning his first Pro Bowl selection by amassing the second-most touchdown receptions (12, which was tied for fifth in the NFL) and the third-most receiving yards (788 — 10 more than Wes Welker) on the team. The most tantalizing wrinkle, as the Broncos attempt to make the arduous trip back to the Super Bowl in the 2014 campaign, is what Thomas willingly admits now, entering his fourth season: He’s just barely figured out what he’s doing out there.—Judy Battista, NFL.comRead more…

Peyton Manning is as New Orleans as red beans and rice on Mondays and Fat Tuesdays. The proud native son, who had to move to Denver because of work, adores his hometown and its greatest assets –- food, music, culture and football prospects.

Manning himself is the greatest football product to ever come out of New Orleans, the city that annually churns out NFL studs. But Peyton himself can attest that Leonard Fournette of St. Augustine is prodigious. Manning got a text this fall from his brother Cooper, who told the Broncos quarterback to turn on ESPN to see greatness.

Broncos media services manager Rebecca Villanueva displays a jersey with quarterback Peyton Manning’s name and number in March 2012.

Sometimes, it’s tough for us people in the trees to see how no one in the mighty NFL forest is more popular than Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning.

The NFL just released its top 25-selling jerseys in the period from April 1-Nov. 30, and Manning was No. 1. Frankly I’m a tad surprised because his jersey has been in circulation for two years. But as the RGIII star drastically dimmed and with little sex appeal in this year’s rookie class (Geno Smith, anyone?), the trusted Manning remains on top.

Maybe that explains why the Broncos are playing their freakin’ sixth prime-time night game Thursday against the San Diego Chargers.

Montee Ball fumbles in the third quarter of the Broncos game against the Patriots on November 24. (Jared Wickerham, Getty Images)

Monday night, as I was doing research for my story about the Broncos’ running backs and what on earth is going on on the depth chart behind Knowshon Moreno, I started looking at fumble numbers. The way we talk about Ronnie Hillman, Montee Ball and C.J. Anderson, you’d think they’d committed eight fumbles apiece by this point in the season. But see, they haven’t. Hillman has two, Ball two, and Anderson fumbled and recovered the ball in New England.

My first thought was that it doesn’t sound so terrible.

Then I looked at the numbers.

You see, Ball has just 75 carries, Hillman 40, Anderson seven. That’s good for 41st among all running backs in the NFL, 65th and tied for 106th, respectively. The gist: these guys aren’t getting many carries, but they’re still up there among the worst fumblers in the league.

Jared Allen celebrates in a game against Denver in 2011. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

This question comes via email from Chris Hatfield, and with the trade deadline looming on Tuesday, it’s a good one.

To start off, I’m going to cross two of these names off of the list: Adrian Peterson and Joe Thomas. Here’s why:

I don’t think the Vikings are trading Peterson. I also don’t think the amount of money he commands would make any sense for this pass-happy Broncos team. Peterson is signed through 2017, making $11.75 million in 2014; his contract escalates from there, all the way up to $15.75 million in 2017. Sure, any team would love to have Peterson, the best running back of his generation, but he comes at a price, and it’s not a price the Broncos would be willing to pay. Also, in case y’all haven’t noticed, Knowshon Moreno is doing a perfectly decent job in the role he’s been asked to play.

As Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson proved last season, ACL injuries aren’t what they used to be.

And so not quite 6 ½ months after Quenterus Smith had his torn left ACL repaired by Dr. James Andrews, the Broncos’ rookie defensive end was participating in individual and position drills the past two days.

“They told me to do what I can,’’ said Smith, a fifth-round draft pick out of Western Kentucky. “When I’m done doing the drills I feel good. I don’t feel all the way normal but I still have another month-and-a-half to get ready. They’re doing a great job with it with the little time we’ve had. But everything feels good. I don’t feel like I’m babysitting it too much.’’

Smith suffered the injury while passing rushing in a game on Nov. 17. Dr. Andrews repaired the tear on Nov. 24. The 6-foot-5 Smith plans on participating in the team portion of practices by the start of training camp in late-July.

He flew from Germany to Washington D.C., then arrived mid-afternoon today in Kansas City, where he will receive The Kansas City Committee of 101 AFC Offensive Player of the Year Award tonight. It’s the seventh time Manning has received the award, a record, and he has showed up to personally accept every time. His former University of Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe was to present the award to Manning tonight.

If voters for the NFL Most Valuable Player Award are struggling to choose between Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson, can the players respective answers about whether they should be MVP count?

Check out the contrast between Manning and Peterson when asked if they’re the MVP.

Manning following the Broncos’ final regular-season game Sunday: “Well, certainly it’s about our team.”

Would you rather Peyton Manning win the MVP award instead of Adrian Peterson? Or would you rather have the Broncos get the No. 1 AFC playoff seed?

With the Houston Texans losing at home to the Minnesota Vikings, 16-6. late in the third quarter, the chances increase that the Broncos can attain the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed which would mean home-field advantage throughout the playoffs leading up to the Super Bowl.

And even that will be played in Peyton Manning’s hometown of New Orleans.

Mike Klis has been with The Denver Post since 1998, after working 13 years with the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph. Major League Baseball was Klis' initial passion. He started covering the Colorado Rockies after Coors Field was approved for construction in August 1990.

Nicki Jhabvala is the Sports Digital News Editor for The Denver Post. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor, and she was most recently the overnight home page editor at the New York Times. She has reported regularly on the Broncos since joining the staff.

A published author and award-winning journalist, Benjamin Hochman is a sports columnist for The Denver Post. He previously worked on the staff of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, winners of two Pulitzer Prizes for their Hurricane Katrina coverage.